Our curriculum builds confident, resilient linguists in French, Spanish and Ivrit. It starts in Year 7 with the sounds of the language, and the first phrases pupils need to talk about themselves and grows into the ability to speak and write spontaneously, in several tenses, by the end of Year 11. Throughout, we want pupils to understand how a language works, not just memorise it, so they can say what they mean.
Reading like a linguist
Pupils learn to decode a text before they translate it: sounding words out using the phonics we teach from Year 7, spotting familiar chunks of language, and using clues such as verb endings, time phrases and word order to work out who did what, and when. In Year 7, that means reading a short description aloud accurately and working out an unfamiliar word from the words around it.
Speaking like a linguist
Pupils speak the language in every lesson, answering in full sentences and giving a reason rather than a one-word answer. New structures are modelled on sentence builders, then the support is gradually taken away. From Year 7 we use phrases like ‘À mon avis… parce que…’ and ‘En mi opinión… porque…’, and by Year 11 pupils extend them with comparisons and contrasting points of view.
Thinking like a linguist
Pupils learn to spot patterns and apply them in new situations: once they know how a verb works in one tense and one topic, they can use it in another. Before they speak or write, we simply ask them how they can say more with what they already know – which tense, which opinion, which connective – rather than reaching for a translator.
How we teach it
Every topic follows the same sequence: pupils hear and read new language first, practise it with support, then use it independently. Vocabulary, grammar and tenses are deliberately recycled – at GCSE, each tense comes back at least eight times across Years 9 and 10 – so nothing is learned once and forgotten.
How we check understanding
Pupils read aloud, answer questions and speak in pairs in most lessons, so we hear straight away what is secure. Short retrieval quizzes and end-of-unit assessments in listening, reading, speaking and writing show us what needs revisiting before we move on.
How we support every learner
Sentence builders and knowledge organisers give every pupil a clear scaffold, and lessons are broken into small, well-practised steps. We work closely with the SEND team, follow each pupil’s support plan, and run before-school, lunchtime and after-school sessions for anyone who needs extra practice. That way, every pupil, including those with SEND or EAL, can speak and write with confidence.
What great looks like
This is the standard we are reaching for with every pupil, not just our strongest linguists. It means accurate sounds, confident speech and flexible grammar, year on year.
Year 7
Pupils read a short, unfamiliar text aloud with accurate pronunciation, because they know how the letters sound rather than guessing. They describe themselves and their family in full sentences and give an opinion with a reason.
Year 8
Pupils move beyond the present tense, saying what they will do or would like to do – planning a holiday, for example. They compare people and places, and adapt a model sentence to say something true about themselves.
Year 9
Pupils use past, present and future in the same piece of speaking or writing, choosing the right tense without being prompted. They understand both the gist and the detail of a longer text on a familiar topic.
Year 10
Pupils hold a short, unscripted conversation, answering unexpected questions and justifying their opinions. They translate short passages both ways, spotting where a word-for-word translation would go wrong.
Year 11
By the end of Year 11, pupils speak and write spontaneously and accurately across all the GCSE topics, using a range of tenses, opinions and complex structures to say what they genuinely think, like a confident linguist. This is the standard we want every pupil to reach, not only our most able.
Help at home by…
- Asking your child to teach you a phrase they learned this week and say it aloud. Explaining it to someone else is one of the best ways to remember it.
- Checking that vocabulary practice is done little and often. Ten minutes on most days works far better than an hour the night before a test.
- Encouraging them to read aloud from their Home Learning Booklet, even if you don’t speak the language yourself. Hearing themselves helps fix the sounds.
- Watching a film or series in French, Spanish or Hebrew with subtitles, listening to music, or trying the language on holiday. Real language in real situations builds confidence the classroom alone cannot.
